The Experiment
by Milli Moi
Summary: Based on ideas I saw floating around after the release of Infinity war. Sometimes an idea can be right, sometimes it is the best option - but sometimes a matter of months can be enough for that idea to change into a nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Rogers, Steven; Romanoff, Natasha

Name: Steven Rogers

Role: Sire

Height: 6' 2

Weight: 222 lb

Sexual health

Date of last assessment: 12/15/2017

Previous sexual health complaints: None

Number of previous sexual partners: 3

Sexually transmitted infection testing: completed 12/11/2017, results viewed and no infections found

Sperm sample provided to private clinic for analysis.

Sperm motility is high and morphology is good. Sperm count of 250 million - above average range.

Name: Natasha Romanoff

Role: carrier

Height:

Weight:

Sexual health

Date of last assessment: 12/15/2017

Previous sexual health complaints: there has been exposure to infection on multiple occasions but human immunity enhancements have prevented contracting these.

Number of previous sexual partners: upwards of ten

Sexually transmitted infection testing: completed 12/11/2017, results viewed and no infections found.

Typical menstrual periods have been observed on a 28 day cycle. Began observing menstrual periods at approximately age 11. Testing at a private clinic has shown normal levels of eggs, and typical release of these also.

Gynaecologist believes issues of conception due to high immunity. Immune suppressant medication has been advised for best outcome. This has been decided against.

There is a history of one previous pregnancy at the age of fifteen which ended in miscarriage.

**Agreement**

I, Natasha Romanoff, sign that I have agreed to take part in this trial. I understand the sexual behaviours necessary for the trial to be a success. I understand the implications of a positive result and the following responsibilities as mother of this child. I agree to take the advice of other Avenger team members when raising any resulting child although I am aware that I, and Steven Rogers, will have the final authority.

_Natasha Romanoff_

I, Steven Rogers, sign that I have agreed to take part in this trial. I understand the sexual behaviours necessary for the trial to be a success. I understand the implications of a positive result and the following responsibilities as Father of this child. I agree to take the advice of other Avenger team members when raising any resulting child although I am aware that I, and Natasha Romanoff, will have the final authority.

_Steven Rogers_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Trial One: Report

Date: 12/22/2017

Ovulation detected using ovulation urine test strips and body temperature readings. Natasha experienced no symptoms of ovulation. Peak fertility days recognized as 18-20th.

Natural insemination attempted each day. First attempt void due to difficulties gaining erection for Steven Rogers. Second and third attempt successful.

Natasha remained lying flat for ten minutes after the attempted insemination to give optimum sperm effectiveness.

Outcome awaited.

* * *

"Steve," Natasha spoke calmly, standing in the corner of the room and leaning on the frame of the open door. Another B&B, another town, another country.

This place was nice enough, it was basic but there were endearing touches such as lace doilies and knitted bed throws, which were nice if you liked that sort of thing. It was day two of them staying in the little place in the South of France. They had to be careful where they bedded down - there were eyes on everywhere and they didn't want to risk a larger town. Small villages and hamlets, those were safe for now.

They were posing as siblings, a family in search of their European heritage. Given that Natasha could slip seamlessly back into her Russian accent and Wanda's natural Eastern European accent also helped to plant this seed. The boys tried to remain quiet, say as little as possible in the hope no one picked up they were American.

This plan, this experiment, it was covert. Only her and Steve, and the Fertility specialist they had visited in London knew they were planning a child that could one day have the world resting on its shoulders. Natasha had paid highly for the woman's silence, and she had some old contacts keeping a close watch in case she considered leaking the intel. This part no one other than herself knew.

"Steve," she said again, the old soldier raising his head to look at her and stop busily tidying the little bedroom. He held a sock in one hand - looking sheepish. She had wanted to make this as easy as she could for him. Natasha was used to sleeping with whoever she had to but Steve? He had only had a few women in his time and most were one- nighters except for Sharron. She could tell he was trying to keep his mind off what he was about to do with a woman he thought of simply as a good friend.

Natasha sighed, closing the door behind herself. She had dressed for the occasion under her jacket, worn something lacy and pretty but that gave a view of more than he was used to seeing. She had thought about suspenders, thought about a push-up corset - weapons of her trade as much as her favorite Glock, but she thought against it. She didn't want to overwhelm him, at the same time they both knew a certain level of arousal was necessary or they wouldn't have the option of pregnancy at all.

They had thought about other methods, thought about letting him finish off in a cup and do the old turkey baster method but the success rate was low, they didn't know if her body would take to the most natural form let alone another. They would also need sterile syringes and specimen cups - something they did not have the luxury of while on the move. As hard as it was on Steve, and as much as Natasha herself did not exactly look forward to this, the good old-fashioned way was their best option. It had to happen inside her body.

This was the first night - or more, afternoon - that they had the option. Her body temperature had increased a small amount, her Calander had tracked them to the three best days if they were going to conceive successfully. If everything went well for these three days then perhaps it would be over with, perhaps she would fall pregnant and everything would fall into place. Perhaps, but she wasn't counting on it.

Trial One: Unsuccessful

Urine pregnancy test taken by Natasha Romanoff 12/28/2017. The test gave a negative result.

Trial to be continued in January, in hopes of a positive outcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Trial Two: Report

Ovulation took place 15-17th January 2018. Recorded by calendar and body temperature.

Insemination attempts followed on the three dates shown above. Less anxiety was involved and Natasha notes she believes a better sample to have been received. Post-insemination Natasha remained lying flat with hips elevated for twenty minutes.

Natasha noted symptoms of breast tenderness and mood changes as of 01/20/2018. This was noted by team members also.

Urine Pregnancy test conducted on 01/25/2018, at ten days post-insemination. The test gave a positive outcome, pregnancy was documented.

01/30/2018: Normal Menstrual cycle resumed. Pregnancy resulted in an early miscarriage. Two months of recovery to be taken before resuming experiment with trial three.

Trial two not successful.

* * *

When she had seen those lines it hadn't been real to her. It wasn't that Natasha doubted the test in front of her, she was pretty sure it was working and even if it wasn't there was always a blood test if needed. It felt strange to see this, to be part of something so normal. She was pregnant. She was actually pregnant, for the first time in many, many years. How did she go about telling Steve, it didn't feel like she imagined it should, this was a friend - a friend she had used almost every technique in her arsenal to get aroused in the first place. There had been no pleasure in sleeping with Steve, there wasn't supposed to be and that was something that Natasha had learned to accept.

She still remembered the first man they made her sleep with, he was easily in his forties, she was fourteen. It was legal, but that didn't make it right. She had vomited afterward and suffered bleeding, but that was what her life would entail. Sex in the world of the Red Room girls was as mechanical as learning what gauge you wanted for a specific fire range. Steve was different, he was brought up the way people their age should be, kind and courteous with manners and the understanding that getting a girl pregnant meant you were marched off to get married.

Now Steve was having to sleep with her for results, and Natasha was understanding for the first time that there was value in her skills - or at least, in those specific ones.

She pressed her hand gently against her lower stomach. There was something living in there, something which they wanted to live but it was too foreign for her. Natasha was closed off, numb towards the possibility of a baby coming out of this. She knew the plan, knew it wasn't likely to succeed, but she knew most of all that they had to try and make this work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Trial Three: Report

Ovulation dates: 5th-7th April 2018, detected through spike in body temperature and through ovulation testing. Insemination attempts took place on the three given dates. Elevation of hips was conducted for ten minutes post insemination. Response awaited.

* * *

Natasha flopped down onto the bed, letting her body fall back and hit the mattress. She didn't know how to think in regards to Wanda, the girl was so young, barely at the end of her teens, barely an adult but she had so much power. She also had something Natasha hadn't experienced for a very long time, she had a spark. The young girl knew what she wanted and it wasn't in terms of World security.

Wanda wanted love, she wanted happiness, all those butterflies in the stomach feelings that everyone expected at that age. In some ways, Natasha knew the reason she had let them - Wanda and Vision - have their distance, was because she wanted Wanda to never lose that spark, that hope, and joy for life.

Now, after everything had gone to hell, they were back in a travel lodge, a basic hotel where she was having to share a room with the younger girl. Steve had insisted they have their own rooms - the hotel couldn't accommodate them all in one room and so the boys and girls had been separated. She thought about Steve, was he still trying to preserve the virtue of Wanda, or was he clinging to old fashioned morals. Either way, no matter how it worked (and she was pretty sure she didn't want to know how this worked with a robot) the couple clearly had sex at some point.

Wanda was sheepish at first, gently sitting on the edge of the second bed, Natasha could feel those eyes on her and promptly realized the kid was waiting for a telling off. She snorted out loud, drawing Wanda's eyes to her face.

"Yeah, we said stay close, but I'm not your Mom. Everyone rebels at some point - even Steve might one day."

Wanda gave a soft and grateful smile, proceeding to remove her jacket and hat, tossing them on to the bed. Natasha followed in her steps, rolling her body up off the bed into a standing position and proceeding to take off the bullet-proof vest which was newly incorporated into her suit.

"No one could have known what was going to happen out there, those things - whatever they were - we had about as much prior warning as you did."

"Nat," Wanda spoke in what could be described as a gasp except it was quiet as though she had just discovered some sort of scandal.

Natasha froze. Crap. They weren't supposed to know and now - after what had just gone down - she couldn't afford for them to know. Steve would try and ground her, but some things were more important than the little issue that Wanda had just spotted. She was hoping to ignore it, hoping Wanda would move past what she was but before she could say anything else Wanda asked outright.

"Are you, you're pregnant?"

Natasha bit her bottom lip hard. Dammit.

She had barely noticed until a few weeks ago. Things had been busy and one thing led to the next, meaning she didn't realize that like the first few pregnancies she hadn't miscarried this time. It was like it had grown from nowhere, like a weed in a sidewalk crack. One minute there had been no indicator and now, now there was a visible little bump in her stomach. With the vest on, she was sure the others hadn't noticed but now when she took it off, things were beginning to get difficult.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Medical Report: June 2018

Sonogram Report:

Conducted on: August 8th, 2018.

Patient: Ms. N, Romanoff

Purpose: Sonogram used to confirm pregnancy as well as gestational dates and to measure the growth and health of fetus.

The Fetus appears typical in growth and development, the Fetal weight is estimated at approximately 682 grams or 1 pound and five ounces. This is slightly large for estimated gestation of twenty-four weeks, but still within range. Similarly, the head circumference of 225 mm and Biparietal diameter of 65 mm are within a normal, healthy range. A heart rate of 149 beats per minute was also detected.

Ms. Romanoff has no concerns or complaints relevant to the pregnancy and is maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy.

* * *

Where had it all gone so wrong? So, so, wrong. She didn't really want to think about it, but she had to - they all had to. So many were gone, turned to dust as an after effect of Thanos snap. They had no idea if they were dead if they had been moved somewhere else, nothing - not a lead in sight. It had been less than two days, but it felt like a century. None of them had slept, they had barely ate. It had felt almost impossible to drag herself into the shower, to try and wash the dirt off her skin, the dust from her hair. While brushing it through she had discovered a red hair in the bristles of her hairbrush. Who was she trying to kid in these past few years, she would never leave this life behind - not unless it meant going the way the others had.

God, they didn't even know where Tony was, or that Spider-kid he had all but adopted. They could be dead, or dust, or floating around somewhere in space praying for help. They could be, but she doubted it.

Natasha had sunk to the floor of the shower. She tried to draw her knees in against her chest only to find her thighs hitting her stomach first. There it was, that little creature inside her. It thrived, it had lived through a battle. She had worried at first, noticing some bleeding just after the fight but the worry was not for the infant, but for the stress and hardship it would cause if she miscarried now.

She'd told Steve, she had no choice. They all knew now, the whole team - what was left of them, the scraps - they knew there was another life involved and that one of the best players had been put on the bench. Steve wouldn't let her do anything now, she knew that and hated it. She needed to do _something_, anything that might help.

She'd been scanned, had blood drawn and urine tested. They all knew that somehow this little thing in there was fighting too, fighting with her. She knew it was ridiculous to try and fight now, knew it wasn't in any way safe for her or the kid but back when they had thought this was a good idea, well, there was no sign of danger. They were safe, their plan would have worked, and then Thanos.

It was a little later into the evening before Steve came looking for her. He knocked on the door of her sleeping quarters, opening it a crack to make sure she was dressed before he entered. She didn't move to greet him. Her muscles ached and some trembled in ways they never used to - she wasn't sure if it was overuse, lack of nutrition or some sort of shock response.

Steve came over and sat next to her on the bed. This was the first time she had seen him out of uniform since it happened, although the mix and match version of his civies still didn't disguise the situation. There was silence for a moment. He looked at her, trying to give a reassuring smile but it wasn't enough - nothing so small could be enough.

"Everything ok?" He finally asked.

She nodded, sitting up with her back pressed against the headboard. She rested a hand against her ribs, protecting the bruising, only to realize once settled that this was the first time she had touched her stomach with the knowledge of what she was doing. It felt wrong, strange, but she allowed her hand to run across the surface of her little bump, feeling how it was harder than the rest of her body. She hadn't really allowed herself to realize it was growing, getting bigger day by day. When she wore the vest of her suit it was mostly hidden, probably pushed too tight, but now, wearing a tank top she could see that she actually looked pregnant.

She saw Steve watching her and gently took hold of his wrist, pushing his hand against her stomach. There may have been nothing romantic about its creation but this baby was his too. Steve gently thumbed her belly for a moment in silence, she could see thoughts going through his head a mile a minute.

"Steve?" He looked up to meet her eyes.

"Things have changed, we can't have things the way we planned. The world -,"

Steve, nodding, cut into her sentence. "The world is hostile and unsafe. What we thought was right, was right twenty-four weeks ago. I know, he goes to Sharon. He'll be safe and no one will know."

She nodded, looking down at her phone by her side. The conversation she had just had with Pepper, it was even more of a reason to hide, to keep this quiet and to let the little person go on to a better life. Tears stabbed her eyes, she wasn't sure why she wanted to cry but when she spoke her voice crumbled too.

"There's more, Pepper is coming to join us. She needs our support and, right now, she needs this sort of support more than me. It's different, for her it's real, and she needs us if she can't have Tony, take it from experience. Pepper, she just told me, only found out yesterday. Pepper's pregnant."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Trial Three: Outcome

They couldn't do anything, nothing but survive, nothing but grieve those they had lost. The world knew what had happened for the first time in Natasha's career the world had full disclosure of her work and the work of the whole team.

People were suffering out there, people were fighting and dealing with things they should never have had to understand. Until it all happened there had been a good number of people who didn't believe in New York, they thought footage of the Chitauri was some sort of elaborate government hoax. Natasha knew from the inside; government hoaxes were usually reserved for those involved in Espionage rather than the common person. Now, those people who thought aliens didn't exist (and who could blame them) they had lost family and friends, they had lost the CEO of their company and had no direction to go in, they had lost the person who paid their bills or who fed their cat when they traveled. Everyone had been touched, they knew everyone had been touched. They were just glad that no one else knew they had failed to make it right.

They had each other, that was all they could focus on. Even if in this instance 'each other' was a very small group of people, Thor had gone off somewhere, tried to make it right with his people, Bruce was working on something personal - and in many ways, Natasha was thankful for that since it meant she didn't have to explain. Carol was off helping others in need, so was Rhodey. Tony and Pepper had bought a house and were quietly awaiting the arrival of their baby.

Natasha smirked at the thought, they were waiting, sure, but she had far less time to wait. She rose up slowly from the Sofa, stretching out her back and wincing, beginning to walk around the room again. Her body felt tight, the pain sharp enough that she didn't want to breathe too heavily. It grabbed her body harder every time it hit, squeezing hard as though her body was a tube of toothpaste. It had been six hours since it started, now the pains were getting intense. The walking helped a little, but the pressure in her hips and pelvis was starting to make it uncomfortable.

Labor was a process, it took time, and she was adamant that transferring to a hospital was happening as late as possible. Steve was on the phone, calling Sharon and finalizing the details. Her water broke about half an hour earlier, they needed to move. She stopped, anchoring her arms against the arm of the sofa and extending them out to hold herself against. Slow breathes, slow breathes.

* * *

Labor Report

Labor began for Ms. Romanoff at approximately 3:30 am on the 1st of December, 2018. She labored at home until membranes ruptured at approximately 9:00 am and was transferred to hospital. Admitted at 10:08 am and examined. Rupture of membranes confirmed, the patient was 7 cms dilated and contractions 3,60. Ms. Romanoff was given Entonox to help with pain and was mobile during most of the labor. Full dilation was observed at 11:40 am and baby born at 11:52 am. A baby boy was delivered with an Apgar score of nine at one minute and increased to ten at ten minutes since birth. Ms. Romanoff received minimal tearing and no stitches were necessary. Discharge at 3:00pm on December second.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

James Stefanovich Rogers

How do you explain to a child that their mother is never coming home? Steve had lost his mother, but he had been almost fully grown by then. James was still so young, only four years old. At least, he thought as he left the second story flat with the young boy asleep against his shoulder, James had never known his parents up until now. He had been raised by Sharon, safe and well and now, now that Steve had the chance to fix things, to get the wretched stones back to where they belonged, he thought it was time to bring his son home.

He had tried, he had hoped beyond hope that if he could return the soul stone then they might be able to retrieve Natasha. He felt it was the least he could have done, she had gone through an impossible pregnancy with a plan in mind that turned out obsolete. She had lost another family member and barely allowed herself a backward glance to their baby. They had named him but it was at Steve's insistence they honoured Russian tradition with his middle name and with the nickname Yasha. Natasha had tried not to care, although he knew she had.

She had made the ultimate sacrifice, a sacrifice that Steve couldn't think about without feeling cold inside. She was gone, but she had succeeded in what she always planned to do, she had given her life to do the right thing. Now Steve was doing what he knew she would want. She would want him to make it right, to enjoy his life and not become married to the job as she herself had done. There was only one thing, one person that Steve should be married to and that was where he headed now.

James would grow up with a Mom and Dad, he would be as normal a kid as he could be given he was conceived only because of the shield of the Super Soldier Serum. He was special, clever, strong and opinionated so Sharon told him. He was also blonde haired and blue eyed and going to wake up in a place he didn't know, in a time he didn't know but Steve planned to make sure of one thing, one thing he had to know in order to make everything fall into place.

He looked up at the sky, watched lights dance across the darkness amongst the stars. It was cold, he could see his breath and was glad the little boy was wrapped up in a thick blanket. Their little boy would know the one thing so important to every child and the one thing that a young Natasha had never known. He would know he was loved.


End file.
